WASHINGTON — Virginia budget proposals set to be released this weekend will include an increase in education funding, new money for the underfunded state and teacher retirement plans and money to build a new eastbound lane on Interstate 66 inside the Beltway as rush-hour tolls begin.
Ahead of the official release on Sunday of the House and Senate changes to Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s proposed budget, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Chris Jones said Thursday that repayments to the Virginia Retirement System would be accelerated under the House budget, similar to the governor’s proposal, and that teacher VRS payments from the state would be 100 percent funded in the second year of the two-year budget plan.
Northern Virginia leaders are particularly concerned about how much education money the state will add for elementary, middle and high schools. Under the much-touted proposals for education increases released so far, Fairfax County projected that it would only get a $3.2 million boost.
BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE are led by Republicans, who have promised to again cut out the Democratic governor’s proposals to expand Medicaid to cover more Virginians. Republican concerns include the cost of the program, and whether the federal government will continue to provide promised funding.
McAuliffe had proposed using the savings from Medicaid expansion to fund several tax cuts.
Under a deal announced earlier this month, the budget proposals will include $140 million to pay for a new eastbound lane on I-66 between the Dulles Connector Road and Ballston, where there are regular backups.
The deal includes a promise that the lane will be built by 2020, with construction beginning at the same time as new rush-hour tolls that will allow solo drivers to pay to use the High Occupancy Vehicle-restricted lanes. The HOV restrictions will be extended from 2 1/2 hours in each direction to four hours, but will continue to apply only in the eastbound direction in the morning and the westbound direction in the afternoon.
Jones says the House budget proposal would also move money around to cut the governor’s proposed bond package from $2.4 billion to $1.5 billion.
The House budget would put $605 million into the state’s rainy-day fund.
